Keir Starmer’s conference welcomed him with an ecstatic applause before he was greeted with glitter seconds later. The heckler shouted “we are in crisis” before being tackled to the ground. But despite this fleeting moment, the Labour leader sparkled brightly when expressing the necessity for change in Britain’s current decline.
The last time Labour won a general election was back in 2005, with Tony Blair in the driver’s seat over 18 years ago. Blair won a third consecutive victory for the group but since then, no one from the party has been able to retake charge.
Traumatised by the power differences over the last few years, Labour needed to put its faith in Starmer and convince the general public who have been tormented by divided governments and lies.
An opinion poll by Ipsos found that 62% of people believe that Britain is headed in the completely wrong direction and 77% feel as if the country needs “a new set of leaders”. This may be where Starmer can put in hard work to give the people what they deserve.
The Tories have been sticking plasters onto issues in society which have presented the Labour Party in a bad light, yet in reality, they’ve been shoving false promises onto those who have nowhere else to turn. Starmer described this struggle as people “walking slower past their food bank”, a system which only the Tories benefit from.
Starmer’s speech had a sense of quiet ambiguity, promising the prosecution of crime and seeing that people would have enough money to enjoy the things they love. The cost of living crisis has stripped individuals of regularity in their lives and now they live a life where abnormality is the normality.
Rallying applauses from assuring people that the quality of hospitals and schools would improve through taxing the wealthy, Keir clearly knows what to say to get the people on his side. But the stakes are so high. There is a certain level of trust needed before the Labour Party to deliver a recognizable change.
Take Boris Johnson’s party win for instance. That all came crashing down when society understood they were being fed falsehoods. The realisation of being led by someone who could party away with government bodies whilst members of society who couldn’t say goodbye to loved ones spoke volumes.
Much needed, Starmer recognized how “dangerous” the Conservative party was for the nation and their uncertain volatility is one that could cause society more pain.
However, despite Keir’s ‘help the people’ attitude, some things missing from his argument included a wider take on economic policies.
Though the country has had an uprising of productivity and investments, overriding it is a downward spiral of disaster. Rishi Sunak’s cancellation of the HS2 is one of many falsities by the Tories and a fresh start is urgently desired. The raising of prices and the removal of services is a hindrance. A fresh start where civilians can focus on living life again is desperately needed.
The climate crisis is a notable mention. Pledges for new green jobs to be introduced have been constantly ignored. The strategic framework which could essentially deliver net zero finds itself in the minority due to a lack of funding and clarity over how roles will be distributed.
The NHS backlog, the construction of new homes and providing people with a wage to support their needs are currently at the top of the list. Evidently, all these issues are important, but Starmer will find it difficult choosing which takes priority without causing further destruction to already unstable situations.
Money is another issue. Where will all this funding come from? You can only tax the wealthy so much before they feel that their pockets getting are getting lighter. Faith may be the only choice we have at the moment.
If Keir really wants to be Labour’s true knight in shining Starmer, the conference surely provided an insight into his redirection for the country and the Labour Party may help society through a melting point of issues for a brighter future.